Sport

ANGLING: Pope at home down on the farm

With most of Oxfordshire’s rivers over their banks again, clubs were forced to switch their fixtures once more last Sunday, but Littlemore AS’s Blind Pairs went ahead at Pimlico Farm, near Bicester, as planned.

The 21 anglers put together a decent total weight of 117lb 1oz.

Steve Pope made the most of an end peg with the wind at his back to catch two carp and a few roach on the pole with maggot for a winning 21.0.0.

Chris Webb fished the bomb to the island with Pepperoni on the hook and had two good carp for 17.8.0, while Brian Hutchings used the pole at 11m with maggot and re-turned a quality all-roach bag of 16.0.0.

A good field of 18 North Oxford anglers contested the Wally Harper Cup, which was moved from the Thames at Godstow to the Oxford Canal at King’s Bridge.

Chub dominated, with Paul Jackman bagging a brace on maggot and bread for a winning 7.13.0.

Maurice Winstone had one chub, plus a decent perch on pinkie and worm, for 4.3.0 and second place, while Henry Clarke was third with 3.5.8 of bread-caught roach.

Tackley Estates AC were also on the canal at Lower Heyford for their latest club match.

Winner Frank Malone had a creditable 8.8.0 of bream and roach on pole and bread punch, followed by John Spencer with 5.0.0 of perch on pole and worm, and Tim Wray with 1.2.0 of pole-caught roach on punch.

Sutton Courtenay AC managed to stage their Markertow Cup match on the backwater at Abingdon, as there were no other venues available.

Once again, the fishing was good, with all nine members weighing in, mainly with decent bags of roach.

Gary Stafford caught 19.10.0 for top spot, followed by Alan Hewer with 17.8.0 and Reg Brant (16.8.0).

A THREE-YEAR campaign by the Angling Trust for a change to the licensing system that governs the control of cormorants and goosanders appears to have been successful.

The Government will introduce new measures, announced last year, to improve the protection of fish stocks from predation by the two fish-eating species.

These will include:

The funding of three fisheries management advisors (FMA’s), to be employed by the trust from April 2014 to help angling clubs and fishery owners reduce predation, to co-ordinate applications for licences and to gather better evidence on the number of birds in each catchment area.

A commitment by the government to review the existing national limit on the number of cormorants that can be shot each year in light of evidence gathered by the FMA’s from each area in 2014 and 2015.

A simplification of the licence application form to make it easier for fishery managers.

A removal of monthly limits within an annual licence.

Extension of the control season to May at times of low flow when salmon and sea trout smolt migrations are particularly vulnerable.

Agreement to increase the national limit for cormorant controls to the emergency level of 3,000 (from 2,000 last year) in 2014-15, if the need can be demonstrated.